Binder



May 12, 1931. c. E. RIDDIFORD 1,304,514

BINDER Filed Feb. 24, 1950 attorney Patented May 12, 1931 UNETED STATES CHARLES E. RIDDIFORD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA BINDER Application filed. February 24, 1930. SerialNoi 430,989.

This invention relates to binders for loose leaf books and the like, and has for its object to provide a'construction simple in part and more efiicient in operation than those heretofore proposed.

\Vith these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts as will be disclosed more fully hereinafter and particu larly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the invention with the two main portions thereof separated to indicate more clearly how they are comhiningly formed;

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail illustrating how the separable tab member is applied to the plural sheets desired bound; and

4 is a plan. view of the separable tab member after it has been cut from sheet material and before it is formed ready for application to the leaves to be bound.

in the drawings 1 and 2 represent respectively the front and back covers of a binder which are flexibly joined as'usual by the back board 3 which is preferably stiff. The specific invention resides in the means for securing leaves within the binder in interchangeable fashion and includes a plurality of .same in the binder and in the drawings this means comprises a plurality of spaced slits 5 adjacent one longitudinal edge of the stub and through each of which extends an anchor strap indicated at 6 in Figure 1. The anchor strap may be made of any suitable material which has strength and some flexibility in order to permit a slight movement of one stubrelative to the adjacent stubs. Leather has been found a desirable material for these anchor straps in that the ends thereof may be readily attached to the covers of the binder, but, it may be desirable in some forms of binders to provide metallic anchor straps.

Each stub is provided with a pair of oppositely formed spaced notches or slits 10 each extending substantially halfway across the width of the stub at an angle of approximately 45 from the longitudinal edge 12 thereof opposite to the edge in which the slits 5 are formed, as clearly indicated in Figure 2, each notch being shaped to provide a relatively wide open mouth 11 for a purpose presently to appear. It will thus be seen that said notches create a pair of oppositely directed points or projections 13 upon which the separable member, presently to be described, may be secured said projections extending towardeach other and each lying wholly within the confines of the stub.

The device for holding a plurality of sheets or leaves to each stub member 4 is shown in development by the numeral 15 and at reduced size in Figure 4 of the drawings.

It is substantially rectangular, and preferably stamped as a blank from sheet fabric such as cloth which has been stiffened with any suitable sizing. It comprises a portion 16 which is truly rectangular and which extends from one longitudinal edge 17 to substantially the middle of the number represented in Figure 4 by the dot and dash fold line 18. The other half of the member 15 would be rectangular in shape except that its end portions are out 01% at substantially 43 angles to form the oblique edges 19 and 20, and a plurality of notches are .cut inwardly from its other longitudinal edge 21, each notch extending to said fold line 18. These notches are so spaced as to provide a relatively large centrally disposed tab member 22 flanked by a pair of smaller tabssuch as 23 and 24 which in turn are disposed between the central tab and the pocket forming end portions 25 and 26, one side. 27 of the notches forming said last mentioned portions being formed perpendicularly to the longitudinal edge 21, all as will be clear from said figure.

the leaves causing them to Further the blank is provided with a cut 28 extending substantially half way from the apex of each ouier notch toward the nearestend of the blank, said out being along the ing to the pocket forming member will lie along the end edge of the main blank, wiih the tabs 22, 23 and. 24 folded over the line 18 inparallel superposed position with respect to thema-in rectangular portion 16,, as somewhat indicated inthe perspective view thereof in Figure 2. The members 25 and 26 are retained in folded position by a stitching 30 along'thefoldline 18 which stitching, however, extends only from the ends of the blank to the nearest end of the cut 28 also as clearly shown in FigureQ, said stitching being preferably made with fine wire. Thus there is formed a triangularly shaped pocket; at

7 each end of the member 15, each pocket havingits opening 36 outwardly disposed. The members 4'and 15 are made of such size that the projections 13 of the former will closely and snugly fit the pockets of the la'lter pre venting any substantial longitudinal move menttherebetween. V

In application the leaves or pages desired bound are placed between the rectangular portion 16 and the several tabs 25, 2S, 24 and. 260i the blank, the inner surfaces of which: have been provided with an adhesive which when moist will adhere to the outer surfaces of said leaves, the member 15 being so disposed; on the leaves that the latter will be correctly positioned when secured in the binder.

One of the pockets 35 then. slipped over one of the projections 13v of anunused stub 4, and then the combined tab member and leaves are slightly flexed to cause the other pocket 35 to engage. the other projection '13 of said stub, the inherent characteristics of straighten and assume-a position in the: plane of the stub after the flexing pressure has been removed;

It is often desired to file, in binders of this class, material such as sheet music or small pamphlets haying plural pageswhich latter are too heavy to be supported by the outside paper covers alone, even though the several pages thereof are secured by the usual stitching or wire staples.

Further, as in the case of sheet m-Wic, it is very rare that the plural sheets-are secured together and" often there an odd or half sheetin the pieceof music which occupies a central posit-ion- In such examples as these this particular invention is peculiarly adapted since it enables such a pamphlet or such music to be securely bound 111 the binder.

It is only necessary to make slits with a knife the central tab 22 could be passed through the publication instead of the outer tabs 23 and 24, but it is preferable to utilize the outer tabs since they provide two points of se curement. Figure 3 particularly illustrates the method of securing a piece of music wherein the two double sheets 40 and 41 are provided at their fold with correctly spaced slits one of which is indicated at 42 through which the tab 23 has been passed for adhesive securemcnt to. the middle single sheet 43, the central tab 22, the end tabs 25, and 26, and the long rectangular tab 16 of the separable member being adhered to the outer surfaces of the outside double sheet 40.

From the foregoing itwill thus be seen that by this invention there is provided a leaf-holding element and a stub element for use in securing. interchangeable leaves witl1 in a binder. The leaf holding means comprises the member 15 which is separable as contradistinguished from the stub member 4 which is relatively fixed with respect to the binder and the separable member is unitary, being cut from sheet material in such manner as to provide the plural tabs, the end ones of. which are adapted to be folded over against the main tab portion 16. along the line such as 29 which isoblique to the major folded line 18, the end tabs being secured by stitching 30 to hold thesame in folded position as well as to form the pockets 35.

Thestub member 4 isimpaled in anyrnanher with respect to the binder and consists of a planar strip of comparatively rigid material substantially rectangular in shape and having straight sides, with cuts 10 extending inwardly from one. edge creating the hook-like or projecting portions 13 which are reversely formed so as to be extensivein opposite directions. Further it should be particularly noted that the hook-like portions 1.3 lie wholly within the con tines as well as the plane of the strip 4.. Lastly the members 4 and 15 are so formed that the projections 13 will snugly fit the pockets 35 with the ulti mate result that the inner edges of the held leaves willsubstantially a-butthe-longitudinal edge 12 ofthe stub 4.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore it is not desired to be limited to the forerun going except as may be required by the claims.

That is claimed is 1. In a binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a leaf-carried member and a bin der-carried member, the latter mem her having an angularly defined hook portion. lying wholly therein and adapted to engage the leaf-carried member.

2. In a binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a leaf-carried member and a binder-carried member, the latter member having a notch cut therein from one edge defining an angular portion lying Wholly within said member and adapted to engage the leaf-carried member. v

3. In a binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a leaf-carried member and a binder-carried member, the latter member having a notch obliquely cut therein from one edge defining an angular portion lying Wholly Within said member and adapted to engage the leaf-carried member.

4. In a binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a leaf-carried member and a binder-carried member, the latter member having reversely and angnlarly defined hook portions lying wholly therein and adapted to engage the leaf-carried member.

5. In a binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a leaf-carried member and a binder-carried member, the latter member having a pair of notches out therein from one edge defining oppositely directed angular portions lying wholly within said member said portions adapted to engage the leafcarried member.

6. In a binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a member secured to said leaves and having pocket-forming tabs, and a rectangular strip constituting a stub member secured to said binder, said strip having a pair of notches cut in from one longitudinal ed g-e thereof said notches forming hooklike portions extending in opposite directions, said portions adapted to engage said tabs on the leaf-carried member.

7. In. a binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a leaf-ca 'ried member having a plurality of leaf holding tabs as well as a pair of tab extensions provided with a pocket, and a binder-carried strip constituting a stub having self-contained holding means adapted to engage said pockets.

8. In a'binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a unitary member pro vided with tabs adapted to adhesively hold said leaves, two of said tabs having a pocket associated with each, and a binder stub having self-contained holding means adapted to engage said pockets.

9. In a binder, means for securing leaves,

said means including a flexible member adapted to holdingly engage said leaves when folded over the inner edges thereof and pro vided with two tab portions so folded as to form a pair of pockets, and a binder stub having self'contained holding means adapted to engage said'poCkets.

. 10. In a binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a flexible member adapted to holdingly engage said leaves when folded overthe inner edges thereof and pro vided with two tabportions so folded as to formv a pair of pockets extending beyond said leaf edgesyand a binder stub having selfcontained holding means adapted to engage said pockets whereby said leaf edges and an edge of said stub will substantially abut.

11. In a binder, means for securing leaves, said means including a folded member secured to said leaves, and a stub adapted to be secured to said binder and having a retaining portion lying Within the confines of the stub, said portion adapted to engage a fold of said member.

12. In a binder, a stub having oppositely directed holding prongs, and a leaf-securing nember having pockets adapted to flexibly en age with said prongs.

13. In a binder, a stub having disposed in the plane thereof oppositely directed holding prongs, and a leaf-securing member having fiat pockets adapt-ed to flexibly engage with said prongs.

14. A loose leaf binder element, the same consisting of a substantially rectangular piece of flexible material adapted to be folded throughout the major portion of its length at substantially its middle, one of the foldable parts being divided by a pair of transverse cuts creating end tabs, each end tab partially separated from the other of the foldable parts by a cut joining one of said transverse cuts and the separated part turned through substantially in folding the same over against said other foldable part, and

stitching across each end tab in line with the major fold creating a pocket in each tab.

15. A loose leaf binder element, the same consisting of a substantially rectangular piece of flexible material adapted tobe folded throughout the major portion of its length at substantially its middle, one of the foldable parts divided by a pair of transverse cuts creating and tabs, each end tab partially separated from the other of the foldable parts by a cut joining one of said transverse cuts and the separated part folded over against said other foldable part along a line oblique to the major fold, and stitching across each end tab to holdit in folded position as Well as to form a pocket in each tab.

16. A leaf securing element for binders, the samecomprising a folded member having gummed leaf-holding tabs and a stubreceiving pocket at each end.

17. A loose leaf binder element, the same consisting of a stub strip adapted to be secured in the binder and provided with cuts extending inwardly from an edge creating hook-like portions for engagement with leaf;

holding means.

18. A loose leaf binder stub consisting of asubstantially rectangular planar strip of comparatively rigid material adapted to be impaled.- With respect to the binder, and leaf engaging means structurally formed Within the confines of said strip.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHAS. E; RIDDIFORD. 

